Hello foodies. Here I am again after a week-long break. Today I am sharing with you the delicious recipe of capsicum. It’s easy to make and very healthy. As the name suggests, it is made with roasted peanuts/groundnuts. It gets ready in a few minutes.
I paired it up with roti and arbi / taro sabzi, which was boiled and lightly spiced. These things are perfect to be had on summer afternoons since they are so light and healthy. Groundnuts ooze a lot of oil, so I didn’t need to add much oil to the capsicum curry.
Let’s begin with the recipe now. This recipe of capsicum masala will yield 2 servings. For the purpose of measurement, 1 cup = 250 ml.
NOTE
- Don’t choose large, thick capsicums. You get the ‘gavthi’ variety of capsicums in the market that are tiny, thin and tastier. Adjust the number of capsicums accordingly, since they are tinier.
- I didn’t have those today. If you don’t get them, use medium sized capsicums, like I did.
Ingredients
- Capsicum – 3, medium size, cu into small bits
- Groundnuts / Peanuts – 1/4 cup
- Garlic – 6 cloves
- Red chili powder – 1/3 tsp
- Red chili flakes – 1/3 tsp or to taste
- Green chili – 1, split lengthwise (optional)
- Cumin seeds – 1/3 tsp
- Mustard seeds – 1/3
- Asafetida / Hing – a pinch
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – 1/2 tbsp
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
- Water – 3 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
How to Make Capsicum in Peanut Masala
- Start by dry-roasting the peanuts on a tawa or griddle till they get tiny brown spots and become aromatic and crunchy. Remove them onto a plate.
- Now dry-roast the whole garlic cloves on the tawa for a minute or so on low heat. It will get small brown spots and become aromatic. Remove it onto a plate and allow to cool.
- Grind together the roasted groundnuts/peanuts, roasted garlic and red chili powder and water. Make a coarse paste. The tiny bits of groundnuts lend a nice crunch to the dish.
- Heat oil in a skillet. Temper it with mustard seeds. Allow it to crackle. Then toss in the cumin seeds and allow them to crackle as well. Add in the hing / asafetida and allow it to sizzle for 4-5 seconds till it gives out a nice fragrance.
- Add in the ground paste and saute it on low heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the capsicum, salt and mix well. Cook on medium to low heat for the next 3-4 minutes or till the capsicum is almost cooked. Stir it occasionally. Don’t cover the skillet with a lid or overcook the capsicum or it will wilt and become soggy. We need the capsicum to retain the crunch.
- If in between it looks too dry, then sprinkle some water. I didn’t need to do that though.
- The oil will now begin to separate. Add in the green chili, red chili flakes, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Give it a nice mix.
- Switch off the flame and serve it hot with rotis or chapatis.